Consulting: the engagement lifecycle & core consultancy skills

London College of FashionExecutive MBA presentation10th July 2014

Consulting: the engagement lifecycle & core consultancy skills

CONSULTING ENGAGEMENT LIFECYCLE

Analysis & Critical Thinking

• Understanding of the problem• Proposed methodology• Timescales• Agreed outputs• Rates • Terms & Conditions

Brief

Proposal

Kick off meeting

Consultations

Update Meetings / Key Milestones

Draft Deliverables

Final Deliverable

Close-down

START MIDDLE END

Ensure the scope of work is clear – manage ‘scope creep’

Don’t get too hung up on the methodology – it can change, in agreement with the client

Ensure the scope of work is clear

Be clear about timescales – but they can change in agreement with the client

TOP TIPS

Make sure you understand the problem the client wants to solve – play it back to them

CORECONSULTANCY SKILLS

Depth of personal relationship

Bre

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Subject matter / process expert

Subject matter expert +

affiliated field

Valuable resource

Trusted Advisor

The Trusted Advisor (Maister, Green & Galford 1990)

Ask yourself:“What is going on

here?”

What the client thinks is the issue might not be the issue

Don’t assume you have the answer from the

beginning...

Hypothesise based upon your experience

Keep a very open mind from the start – you are dealing with limited information to begin with

Technical mastery is important

But ultimately you must build a trust-based relationship

“You don’t get the chance to employ advisory skills until you get someone to trust you enough to share their problems with you”

EARN TRUST

GIVE ADVICE EFFECTIVELY

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS

The Trusted Advisor (Maister, Green & Galford 1990)

EARN TRUST

Care about their problem

If you say you are going to do something... do it!

MANAGE EXPECTATIONS

Don’t be afraid to manage the elephant in the room

You can be creative with the truth but NEVER lie

Remember the client knows more about their

business than you

Know when you are outside your area of

expertise

Practice the art of thinking 3 questions

ahead

GIVE ADVICE EFFECTIVELY

Never ‘tell’ someone what to do

Express potential solutions as options

Provide clear rationale for each option

Remember it is the client’s decision not yours

That doesn’t mean you can’t exercise

professional opinion

Not enough to be right – you must be helpful!

Be mindful of internal politics in determining

options

You are there to make the client’s life easier not

harder

Ensure the client remains the centre of attention

The client should feel like they have come up with

the solution

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS

You have 2 ears and 1 mouth, use them in that

order

Listen and understand... I mean really listen

Show an interest and establish (genuine)

rapport Earn the right to offer

advice

Set clear goals and outcomes

Manage the engagement effectively

Let the small stuff go...

Research them and their background